Trader Joe’s Opens a Second Store Directly Across the Street in Sherman Oaks.

30 June 2025

The new store is about 40% bigger than the one across the street. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

In the heart of Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, a single street corner now hosts an unusual retail twin‑bill: two Trader Joe’s stores literally facing each other across Riverside Drive. The original location, a cozy neighborhood staple since 1973, operates just steps away from its sleek newer counterpart, the “Sherman Oaks too” branch, which opened earlier this month in a modern mixed‑use building. Despite the seeming redundancy, the grocery chain intends to keep both stores open, citing a half‑century of community loyalty and the promise of differentiated shopping experiences.

Walking into the older branch feels like stepping into a trusted friend’s kitchen: narrow aisles, dim lighting, and limited parking evoke nostalgia and familiarity. One long‑time shopper told the Los Angeles Times that she plans to stick with the original store for its charm, even though the new branch offers more convenience. But the new location could be described as the boutique’s tech‑savvy cousin: high ceilings, a bold mural ripe for Instagram posts, and an underground garage that avoids the classic Trader Joe’s parking crunch. The product selection is broader, with more desktop‑worthy flower displays, cavernous produce aisles, and relaxed navigation through what feels more like a market than a convenience store.

Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde emphasizes that this twin‑store model isn’t a marketing stunt. “We’ve had a great relationship with our customers in Sherman Oaks for 52 years,” Rohde told SF Gate, noting that each store offers “the same great products and delightful customer experience” but with distinct layouts and parking solutions. This mirrors the retailer’s broader philosophy: incremental growth conducted with an eye for community context and shopper comfort. Indeed, 2025 alone will see 12 new Trader Joe’s openings nationwide, including another planned location on Staten Island.

This bold experiment raises questions about retail saturation and brand loyalty. One shopper quipped that it felt “counterintuitive” to duplicate a beloved store, yet admitted relief when parking at the new site proved pleasant. Another valued the smaller location’s coziness, planning to cross the street only for specific items absent from the older shelf . The dual‑store model addresses Trader Joe’s most persistent friction point: tight grocery carts in crowded aisles and wintry parking lots that frustrate fans more than any scarcity of products.

The strategy likely also reflects evolving consumer behavior and real estate realities. As grocers strive for convenience and Instagrammable store designs, space becomes premium. Mixed‑use developments, like the one hosting “Sherman Oaks too,” allow for expanded footprints where traditional standalone stores cannot. Furthermore, distributing customer flow across two locations can improve staff performance, reduce checkout queues, and balance inventory flow. Tara Miller, Trader Joe’s marketing vice president, explained a similar concept in Boston, opening two stores on the same street eases pressure, preserves customer service quality, and reduces bottlenecks.

Trader Joe’s expansion in Sherman Oaks is only one piece of a broader California‑focused growth trend. Earlier this spring the chain announced plans to open five additional stores in the state, ranging from Northridge to Yucaipa, nearly doubling Southern California’s presence. With over 500 locations nationwide and more than 150 in California, the chain is staking its future on accessibility and loyalty rather than rapid saturation.

Yet the counter‑intuitive double‑down bet on Sherman Oaks may be the smartest play yet. In an era when retailers face competition from delivery platforms and online grocers, investing in physical locations signals confidence in the power of experience. The dual presence becomes a local landmark, a familiar convenience, and a subtle statement: Trader Joe’s isn’t just selling groceries, they’re selling place‑making.

Looking ahead, the company hints at more twin‑store strategies. With suburban centers expanding and new real‑estate developments seeking grocery anchors, opening multiple outlets on a single block may no longer seem unusual. For Sherman Oaks residents, the experiment is underway and early signs suggest it’s working.

In the end, what might have appeared as a corporate quirk is a calculated modernization of a neighborhood icon. By offering two stores one steeped in nostalgia, the other designed for modern life, Trader Joe’s strengthens both its heritage and its future. And for the customers who remember lining up for cauliflower gnocchi in 1973, it’s a bold nod to what loyalty looks like in 2025.